LARGO, Fla. — A young Mike Wilner had already been on the radio airwaves for minor-league baseball games when he found himself as a waiter at Lime Rickey’s, a ’50s-style diner in the north end of Toronto that served milkshakes and had little jukeboxes on the tables. At the time, he admits, his dream gig felt a very, very long way away.

“It just didn’t seem like something that was on the radar,” he said of becoming the voice of the Blue Jays.

Lime Rickey’s has since closed its doors. Wilner has fared better, however.

For 19 years, Wilner has been on the air with Sportsnet 590 The Fan. He is best known as the host of the pre- and post-game call-in show, Blue Jays Talk, on the station. This season, Wilner will officially sit in the radio booth as the team broadcaster alongside Ben Wagner. In his new role, Wilner will be the first Blue Jays radio play-by-play broadcaster who was born and raised in Toronto.